New and Improved
by Hollyclaw
Summary: Derek's POV of the chapter that Chloe leaves the house to see if Andrew was telling the truth. Sorry I can't remember which chapter that was


Disclaimer: I have no right to anything related to the Darkest Powers series.

I think that I have all the conversations right but I did it from memory. So if they are off please tell me the sentence and I'll fix it.

_**The New and Improved**_

Simon finally stopped trying to talk me into coming down. Ah, peace. I went back to staring out at the forest looking for something anything that would corroborate with Andrew's story. I heard Simon's steps coming back up the stairs.

"For the last time no! I just want to check it out as much as I can _then_ I'll come down." Simon poked his head through the roof, his face unusually grim.

"Chloe's gone." What? When? How? And maybe most important who? I didn't see/smell anyone enter/leave the house. Realizing that he was still waiting for a response I growled out,

"How do you know?" He held up a piece of paper and I wordlessly held my hand out. Simon slapped into my hand like an EMT.

_**Derek (Simon + Tori),**_

**_I've gone out to check Andrew's story. We need to know. Stay in the house, please._**

**_I'll be back soon,_**

**_Chloe_**

Like hell I would stay in the house while there was a chance that she would get caught.

"Go get Tori." I growled out.

"Thought you would say that; she's waiting in the kitchen." He half smiled in satisfaction like always when he was able to predict what I was going to do. We walked to the kitchen in silence.

"Come on." I snapped at Tori brushing past her. For once she didn't say anything, making me worry even more. In the yard I took a deep breath trying to pin point which direction she had gone in. I hadn't noticed on the roof but it was pretty windy outside. That was why I didn't smell her. Turning in a circle I caught Chloe's scent at the edge of the house—which is why I didn't see her. Following her train we went through the woods. I saw everything alright but by the curses coming from behind me it must have been really dark.

"Shhh." I whispered over my shoulder.

"Well sorry for not being a dog with night vision." Tori whispered back sarcastically. I rolled my eyes even though I knew she wouldn't see it.

"Hey! I heard that." I wheeled ears straining to hear whatever she had.

"Heard what?"

"Yeesh, calm down. I meant you rolling your eyes." I glared at her and started moving forward again. Chloe's sent grew stronger as I started smelling blood. I moved faster with Simon and Tori trailing behind.

"Back, then, and—" The voice stopped short and some leaves crackled as they moved. Chloe. I moved forward faster as the smell of blood became fresher. She let out a yelp before I could grab her.

"It's me." I hissed, jumping forward.

"Der—" A branch came whipping out of nowhere hitting me on the stomach. I tripped over a root and started to catch myself.

"Liz, it's—" The stick hit me again between the shoulders and I face planted the ground.

"Freezing Fudge!" I let out an old profanity that Kit actually approved of. Simon came up behind me.

"I'd say he deserved that, always sneaking up on people. Hi, Liz." Chloe pointed right next to me.

"It's not my fault that you people can't see clearly. It's not my fault that we have to be quiet so we don't get shot, caught, and killed." I mumbled under my breath as I got up.

"Liz says, 'Hi, Simon'." Chloe ignored me. Branches snapped behind me and I tensed before remembering that Tori came with us.

"Did someone say Liz is here?" Tori asked excitedly. Chloe pointed near me again. I looked where she was pointing out of habit but I didn't see anything except Tori smiling like I hadn't seen her do since she was trying to get a date out of Simon. "Hey Liz!"

"Sup Tori?" I hadn't noticed before but very subtly Chloe's voice changed. It was higher... More like how I remembered Liz's voice to be.

"Same old, same old." Tori answered indifferently.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Chloe asked with her normal voice.

"We're your official search party—complete with blood hound." Tori replied smugly fluttering her fingers in my direction.

"I left you a note." Chloe said as if that made it all perfectly fine. "I told you where I was going and what I was doing."

"He got it. Didn't matter." Simon said before I could respond in any way.

"You think that leaving a note makes it okay to do something—" Chloe interrupted with a glower on her face.

"Don't say stupid." She said warningly. But I was too angry with her to listen.

"Why not? It was stupid." Simon spoke up behind me.

"Ease off, bro."

"That's ok. I'm used to it." She replied offhandedly still glaring at me. Do I insult her that often? I would rip the person's tongue out if they insulted her, and yet I do it all the time. I was about to relent when a fresh wave of blood hit my nose and my eyes zeroed in on the cut on her cheek. It wasn't bleeding anymore so she must have been cut somewhere else.

"It was stupid. Risky and dangerous." And idiotic, reckless, and foolish. "Those guys could be out here with guns—"

Chloe cut me off again and shifted away to address Tori and Simon, "They are. Liz saw them. Andrew was telling the truth. We need to get back inside before they hear us fighting." She turned and started walking off before anyone could answer.

What happened to Chloe?

~~~ A day without sunshine is like, well, night. ~~~

The walk back was quiet, each of us unwilling to break the silence. When did Chloe start taking charge? I mean she's always come up with basically good ideas but she would offer it then back off and let everyone decide for themselves. Course there was that one time I pushed her too far, right before my Change. She didn't stay mad for long though. After she slept with me she calmed down and went back to normal. The house loomed above us. Simon and Tori went straight upstairs; Simon to our room and Tori o the bathroom. Chloe paused outside talking to Liz.

"I think there's a spell to keep ghost out, like at the Lyle House. You might be able to get in the basement or the attic, like you did there. Other ghosts have. I'll go-" Evidently Liz cut her off. After another minute she walked through the door and I walked up to her.

"You were mad at me for staying on the roof." It was the only logical thing I could think of.

"So I took off in spite of you?" She asked with her eyes flashing.

"Course not" You didn't act quite that thoughtlessly. "But you were mad at me for taking a risk. So you did that same thing to prove your point"

"No fight with you is ever worth risking my life, Derek."Her lips pressed together and her expression hardened. "And I wasn't mad at you. Upset, yes: worried, definitely. But if I thought that my opinion counted more with you, it's a good thing you straighten me out fast."

What? No! "I-"

"I went out for the very reason I said in my note. Because we had to know and I was the best suited to get the answer" _She _was?

"How? Do you have night vision? Super human strength? Super human senses?" She rolled her eyes.

"No, but the guy did wouldn't get off the roof." Foot step were coming this way but I was too focus on Chloe to care, "So the next best choice was the person _without_ all that. The one they know isn't a threat."

"She's right." Simon said from the stairs, "You don't like what she did, but you know it needed to be done."

Nothing that endangered Chloe needed to be done."Then we should have decided together."

Chloe looked at me shrewdly.

"Would you have listened?" No, _I_ would have been going, not her in any case. "I couldn't talk to you, because you'd have stopped me. I couldn't talk to Tori because you'd blame her for letting me leave. I couldn't talk to Simon because he'd _know_ you'd blame him, so he'd stop me, too. I don't like sneaking around, but you didn't leave me any choice. It's black-and-white to you. If Simon or I take a risk, we're stupid and reckless. It you do, we're stupid for worrying."

"I never said that." My last defense; what a brilliant come back. She put her hands on her hips.

"Did you listen to me on the roof?"

"I said I was coming in." Chloe gave me that look. She would make a good mother one day. What? Where did that came from? We have to stay alive before _anyone_ in the group could think that far ahead.

"When? I left twenty minutes later and Simon was still up there, trying to talk you down." She held her hands up in a stopping motion. "Enough. We don't have time to bicker. We need to make plans."

"I'll get Tori." Simon said after a brief silence. This Chloe was definitely new… maybe she was also improved.

~~~Hollyclaw~~~

Just thought I write this scene from Derek's POV… this is when it really hit me that Chloe wasn't the same girl she had been. That said, I also think that this was done really hastily and needs some changes. Problem is I don't know what is bothering me about it. So if you could please—please—review and tell me what I could do to make it better, I would be willing to make cookies everyday for the rest of the year and walk the streets giving them to random people.


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